Jim Harbaugh, 49ers players undaunted by Levi's Stadium turf woes

The San Francisco 49ers ripped up a 100-yard stretch of grass running down the middle of the field at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and began installing a new playing surface on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014.

SANTA CLARA -- Count wide receiver Bruce Ellington among the 49ers not concerned, at least publicly, whether Levi's Stadium's new grass will hold up in Sunday's exhibition against the San Diego Chargers.

And Ellington is among the players who slipped during an abbreviated practice Wednesday that prompted the original sod's replacement.

"It's just grass. Stuff like that happens," Ellington said of Wednesday's fall, which didn't result in an injury. "They'll get it fixed."

New grass was being installed Friday after the 4-month-old sod got torn up after Wednesday's abbreviated practice.

Coach Jim Harbaugh expressed similar confidence that the temporary sod will hold up for Sunday's exhibition, after which he said that grass will be replaced by a more permanent solution.

"The action's been taken," Harbaugh said. "We're refitting, regrouping, retooling. A new field is going in.

"The organization, we can count on them to do things at the highest level, and that's what we're in the process of now."

The team hasn't confirmed the fate of other upcoming events at Levi's Stadium, including two high school football games next Friday night and a Mexico-Chile soccer game Sept. 6. The 49ers' regular-season home opener is Sept. 14 against the Chicago Bears, on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."

Fellow wideout Stevie Johnson was another player who tumbled during Wednesday's practice, and although he aggravated an injury, coach Jim Harbaugh expected Johnson to participate in Friday's session on the regular training fields next to the stadium.

Several players expressed similar confidence in the new sod, which Harbaugh said will be torn up after Sunday's exhibition and replaced by a more permanent field.

"It'll be good. Grass is grass," guard Mike Iupati said.

Added running back LaMichael James: "You've got to play through whatever surface you're on. I was in Green Bay last year and it was negative-20. I feel I can play on anything."

Some thought the old sod looked worse than it felt, at least during Wednesday's session that was halted by coach Jim Harbaugh after less than an hour.